Your first questions might be ‘why BL/GL? Why is this what interests you?’  

To put it simply: I love romance, always have always will.  Growing up it was my favorite genre of media, right from Disney princesses; beautiful heroines meeting their one true love, it didn't matter if he was a beast, true love conquered all. To the romance books I read in my teens synch as ‘Mates & Dates’ rooting for Lucy and Tony to finally end up together! And let’s not get started on my extensive watchlist of rom-coms. A Cinderella Story, The Proposal, 27 Weddings, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I could go on. When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorite films of all time, enemies to friends, friends to lovers, written in the most delicious and witty way, sign me up! And when I officially hit my teens, I found a treasure trove of romance written on the internet, Wattpad here I come. Mafia romances, CEO romances, bad boy romances, popular guy in school romances, werewolf romances (this was a fave), the list never ends. If I had spent a fraction of the time I spent reading romance on Wattpad on my homework I might not have failed my math exam.

Other than the genre there is one thing that unites all of these stories… They were straight. I can’t remember any queer romance I either read or watched. Whenever I heard of a queer movie it was a story about coming out, aids, homophobia and you could bet that someone dies at the end. Whilst these stories are undoubtedly important, it wasn’t what I was looking for as escapism. My constant consumption of straight romance led to a slight problem...Since my teens I have known I was a lesbian, and luckily I’ve grown up in a way where that was a safe thing to be. Yet, since I was spending all my free time consuming hetero romance, I couldn’t help but doubt this core part of my identity. I wanted to experience my own epic romance, to be swept off my feet, and every example I had of that was straight. So when I casted myself in the role of the female characters my partner would have to be… a man. This made me doubt myself time and time again. Maybe I was actually straight and just confused? Maybe bi, pan, fluid? I was coming up with whatever solution where I could be the lead in a romance (which obviously meant that I had to like men), but still listen at least somewhat to my gut.

I can’t help but think that if I had stumbled upon GAP, Love for Love’s Sake, Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (nevermind that none of these were out when I was a teen), I would have saved myself a lot of confusion.  So when I, in 2022, found a clip of Love in the Air on TikTok I was immediately hooked. I could recognize all of the characteristics of stories I had read, but this time it wasn’t a man and a woman, it was two men. A romance I had dreamed of but it was queer! I tentatively began watching, and immediately I was hooked. Since that fateful TikTok clip in 2022, I have watched 366 BL/GL dramas (as of November 2025), so to say that I am a fan might be an understatement.  BL/GL have been a companion for the past three years, a genre where I could escape into beautiful love stories, funny and dramatic alike. I have laughed at some wild concepts and less than perfect stories that still entertained me. Cried with joy and heartbreak alike in some of the most beautiful stories I've ever seen. Fallen for characters in one story and wanting to yell at  someone in another.  When I write or speak about this genre I do it with love and care, even when I’m critical, maybe especially when I’m critical as I know what the genre is capable of and the power it holds for someone like me. I plan on sharing my reviews and opinions on this genre, the good as well the bad.